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Friday, September 13, 2013

The 4th Annual Erica's Run/Walk is on Sept. 21 in Merrimack, NH - you can read the story of my nieces journey with cancer here. The money raised during this wonderful and fun event is donated to local families fighting cancer. This year, I'm a sponsor and I'm giving half of the sale of anything in my etsy shop with my signature crown to the Erica Pombrio Foundation.

If you happen to live in the area and want to join the run or want to donate to a great cause, click on any of the links.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

The Memories and Thanks Blog Hop is both in honor of a lovely friend of Lori Anderson's, Marianna, and for those people in our lives who mean a lot to us - you can read more about the hop here.I'll start at the beginning - why I started making jewelry.My beautiful niece, Erica, was diagnosed with cancer in September 2008- that rocked my family's safe, comfortable world - this doesn't happen to our kids!! Erica had been living on her own and making a comfortable life for herself in Myrtle Beach, SC. When she got sick, her Mom made her come back to Merrimack, NH to get the best care they could find. I wanted to be able to do something, anything, for her. Knowing that she liked jewelry, I started taking classes at my local bead shop. During this time, I started calling her Sweet Girl (SG for short) because she had such a sweet little voice - she also had a wicked sense of humor! As time went on, she was in treatment and I was making more jewelry, so I asked her to help me come up with a name for my "shop". She chose Sweet Girl Design which I love, because she's why I got into making jewelry and she continues to inspire me. Erica was beautiful, delicate-graceful, funny and, most definitely, full of love. My niece, Jackie, wrote this wonderful poem about her sister.

This past September was the 3rd Annual Erica's Run which raises money and donates it to local families in the Merrimack area, who are fighting cancer. Three of my sons and I were able to go -there were 436 runners, up from 207 in 2011! The team that puts this run on is a wonderful group of people that have helped lift my sister and her family up from the depths of despair - they're now a part of our family, too. There aren't enough words to say thank you to them, we are eternally grateful!!I was fortunate to have been able to move my Dad near me, in February 2011, when he had dementia. He lived in a beautiful nursing home about a mile from my house, so I was able to visit every day. My boys would often come with me and play cards and laugh with him - they got to know their grandfather in a whole new way. My parents had divorced over 20 years ago, but any anger or resentment melted away, and Mom would often visit him when she was in town. The love and compassion my Mom showed towards my Dad at the end - she wouldn't leave his side and held his hand as he passed.

In February 2012, my Mom went to stay at my sisters in NH for surgery - she had just found out that she didn't have cancer! She was in such a state of pure joy - the weight of worryinglifted. On Valentine's Day, my sister and her fiance found Mom on the floor in her bedroom, unresponsive. My sister called me as soon as the paramedics left - I said, of course she's going to be ok, it's Mom, the strongest person we know! My other sister, uncle and I flew in immediately, not sure what to expect. The aneurism was so big, that there wasn't a chance for her to come back - our rock, the best person we knew, wasn't coming back to us. The memories we shared in my Moms last couple of days - we laughed..... we cried.... I'm so thankful for my two amazing sisters, the two strongest people I know!The
memories my boys have of their grandparents - priceless! They were able
to see the silly side of Grandpa - one I hadn't seen since I was a kid.
Nana was always interested in what they were doing even if she didn't understand it (computer anything, video games) and often flew in for their many events.My oldest sister married her best friend, last summer, in a beautiful wedding in Wilton, NH. I was able to make her a necklace using beads from one of my Moms and Grandmothers necklaces. The dish in the picture is one, of many, that my Grandmother painted - she was a fabulous painter!

I made these necklaces using my Moms clip-on earrings and a crystal drop - I wear them often. I've also made necklaces for my sisters and nieces.

I picked up a crochet hook over the Christmas holiday (it's been years!) and started making scarves. Lori suggested we use the color red in Marianna's honor - I found this Starbella Collegiate yarn - it's now my favorite scarf! I've made several of these scarves because I like the ruffles - or as my nephew used to call them, buffles. I love how soft, fluffy and buffly they are!

I found this key in a local antique store - it's a grandfather clock key that I put on a chain of stringed beads that slips right over your head. I added a blingy crown made with a vintage pearl, bead cap and Swarovski rondelle.

If I could turn back time with this key ..... one more hug ..... one more smile .....I'm so grateful that I have two amazing sisters to share all of our wonderful memories with, and make new ones - I'm thankful, daily, for their love and constant support!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I hope you'll take some time over the weekend to visit the many participants - I'll be spending the next few days reading all of the inspiring stories.

Friday, September 28, 2012

This past weekend was Erica's Run in honor of my beautiful niece, who passed away in 2009. My sister has an amazing team of women that has helped to organize this event, now in its third year - her son and two daughters are now on the board, too.

My niece, Jackie, wrote a beautiful poem about her sister .....

Our Angel Erica

Daughter, Sister, Friend

Erica Nicole, a baby
girl born with a head full of hair

and a set of big
brown eyes that loved to stare.

As she grew into a
young little girl,

she loved to play
dress up with Nana's rhinestones and pearls.

She was a tomboy in
dresses

who made plenty of
messes.

Having to sit in the
bathtub just to eat her food,

she created a
monstrosity as she chewed and chewed.

A daughter who gave
her mother a run for her money,

who woulda thought,
she'd grow up to be so funny.

She went from
bullying her two sisters and brother,

to a young woman who
protected and loved them just like her mother.

She was a loyal and
true friend,

all the way from
beginning to end.

She puts the sun in
our sunshine,

because our hearts
will forever intertwine.

With a smile that
would light up a room,

and an enticing scent
of sweet perfume.

Beautiful,
intelligent and talented too,

are qualities of
Erica's just to name a few.

Strong courageous and
brave also come to mind,

- J.M. Pombrio

I'm so glad we were able to take the trip to Merrimack, NH - the wonderful team of volunteers helped to make the 3rd Annual Erica's Run grow from 207 runners last year to 436 runners this year!! The money raised goes to assist families in the community that are in the midst of battling cancer, to help pay their bills. When my sister and her family were in the battle for Erica's life, the community of Merrimack came to embrace them and become a part of their family, so it's such a wonderful gift to be able to give back!! I love to go there and become a part of the community, if only for a short time.